Key holding apparatus

ABSTRACT

At least one key body formed with tooth-like projections, and a grip section gripped in use are formed separately from each other. The key body is mounted to a hollow portion of the grip section so as to be extensible and retractable with respect thereto, by angular movement of sliding movement. In order to retain a plurality of key bodies compactly, the key bodies are mounted to a single grip section. Further, in order to prevent loss and burglary and to facilitate carrying, the grip section having the key bodies accommodated therein is detachably held in a key holder such as a bracelet, a buckle of a belt, or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a key holding apparatus that is handyto carry.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Almost everyone requires a plurality of keys such as a key for anautomotive vehicle, a key for the home and so on. Conventionally, thekeys are held in a key holder and are carried.

When a plurality of large keys are mounted to the key holder, however,the volume of the key holder further increases. Thus, if the key holderis put into a pocket or the like, the key holder is bulky. Moreover,there occurs such a fear that the cloth is damaged by tooth-like notchesof the keys or the key holder.

For the reason discussed above, the inventor of this application hasproposed, in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication Nos. 304883/1988and 70009/1989, a key comprising at least one key body and a gripsection formed separately from the key body, the key body having a headend which is pivoted to one end of the grip section, and a key unitcomprising the key and a key holder provided therein with a cavity orvoid within which the key is accommodated, the key holder being mountedto a band. The inventor has further proposed in a buckle havingdetachably accommodated therein a key, in Japanese Patent ProvisionalPublication Nos. 70006/1989 and 218402/1989. Moreover, the inventor hasproposed a bracelet, a necklace and a brooch having detachablyaccommodated therein a key, in Japanese Patent Provisional PublicationNo. 70008/1989.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a key holder whichis small in size and easy in carrying, and which can use a plurality ofkey bodies.

In order to achieve the above object, a key holder according to theinvention comprises a plurality of key bodies and a grip section formedseparately from the key bodies, the plurality of key bodies beingmounted to the single common grip section, in an extensible andretractable manner with respect to the grip section.

The single grip section can be settled with respect to the plurality ofkey bodies, by the fact that the key bodies are extensible andretractable with respect to the single grip section. Thus, the keyholder is compact in construction and does not serve as a hindrance.Further, since the plurality of key bodies are collected together, thekey holder is handy to carry.

Moreover, since the key bodies are accommodated in the grip section whenthe keys are not used, there is no such a fear that tooth-likeprojections on the key bodies are caught to a lining cloth of a bag or acloth of a pocket.

It is another object of the invention to provide a key provided with akey holder such as a buckle of a belt, a bracelet, a wrist strap, or thelike which accommodates and holds at least one key body and a gripsection, in order to prevent stealing or burglary and loss of the key.

The key body and the grip section are accommodated in the key holder,and can always be carried on one's person. Thus, it is possible toprevent misplacement, loss and burglary of the key.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a key holder in whichan opening is formed in longitudinal one end of a grip section in theform of a hollow box, at least one key body extends through the opening,and the key body is accommodated within the grip section for slidingmovement longitudinally.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a key according to an eighth embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a buckle illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a plurality of key bodies and a gripsection illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the key under carrying, illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a key according to another embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a buckle illustrated in FIG. 5;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a key holder which comprises a key holder formed by abuckle 528. As shown in FIG. 2, the buckle 528 has a frame 529 which hasthree lateral sides 530, 533 and 534. A latching element 531 is providedon an upper face of the lateral side 530 and extends inwardly. A beltfastener 532 is provided at a lower face of a side edge of the buckle528, which is opposite to the lateral side 530. A retaining element 535is provided on the upper face of the other side edge of the buckle 528and extends from the upper side 533 of the frame 529 to the lower side534 thereof. A lower face plate 536 is provided at the entire bottomsurface of the frame 529 or a part of the bottom surface thereof.

The retaining element 535 has one end thereof which is mounted to theupper side 533 of the frame 529 for angular movement about an axisextending along the upper side 533. The other end of the retainingelement 535 is formed with an engaging section 539 which is bentdownwardly and which is detachably engageable with the lower side 534 ofthe frame 529. A step 540 is formed at an outward portion of the lowerface of the retaining element 535.

A grip section 502 shown in FIG. 3 comprises a pair of plates 502' and502. The pair of plates 502' and 502" are superimposed upon each otherwith a hollow portion 505 defined therebetween. A plurality of keybodies 501 are arranged in side-by-side relation in the hollow portion505. Each of the key bodies 501 is mounted to the grip section 502 forangular movement in a plane about its corresponding pivot 503 withrespect to the grip section 502 in such a manner that the key body 501is extensible and retractable with respect to the grip section 502.Mounting of the key bodies 501 and the grip section 502 to the buckle528 is practiced as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the other endof the retaining element 535 is angularly moved upwardly to its openposition. The grip section 502 having accommodated therein the keybodies 501 is then fitted in the frame 529, and is slidingly movedtoward the lateral side 530 so that the grip section 502 is engaged withthe lower face of the latching element 531. Subsequently, as shown inFIG. 4, the other end of the retaining element 535 is angularly moveddownwardly to engage the engaging section 539 with the lower side 534 ofthe frame element 529. By doing so, the latching element 531 and theretaining element 535 prevent the key holder from escaping upwardly, andthe step 540 of the retaining element 535 prevents the grip section 502from being slidingly moved laterally and from falling down.

FIG. 5 shows a key holder which comprises a key holder in the form of abuckle 853. The buckle 853 has a frame 829 which has a C-shapedconfiguration in plan and which is provided with a bottom wall 836. Theframe 829 has an upper side 833 and a lower side 834 whose respectiveforward ends are formed respectively with slightly low steps 854 and854. As shown in FIG. 6, the steps 854 and 854 have their respectiveinner edges which are formed respectively with opposed engagingprojections 855 and 855. Providing of a lateral side 830 of the frame829 with a latching element 831 and provision of the frame 829 with abelt fastener 832 are the same as those of the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1.

Each of the key bodies 801 and a grip section 802 have their respectiveconstructions (not shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 for simplicity) which aresubstantially the same as those of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3.In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, however, an extension plate 856is provided at longitudinal one end of an upper plate 802' and issuperimposed upon the step 854 of the buckle 853. A projection 857 isprovided on the upper face of the other longitudinal end of the upperplate 802' and is engageable with the latching element 831.

In no use of the key holder, the key bodies 801 are accommodated withina hollow portion 805 in the grip section 802. The grip section 802 isfitted in the frame 829 with the projection 857 directed inwardly of theframe 829. The engaging projections 855 and 855 of the buckle 853 arefitted in the hollow portion 805. The grip section 802 is slidinglymoved in the arrow f in FIG. 5. The projection 857 is engaged with thelower face of the latching element 831 so that the extension plate 856rests on the steps 854 and 854 and is abutted against the upper andlower sides 833 and 834 of the frame 829.

When the key holder is taken out of the buckle 853, operation should bemade reversely or conversely to take the key bodies 801 and the gripsection 802 out of the buckle 853.

In connection with the above, the key holder may be retained by thebuckle 853 in the following manner. That is, in place of the frame 829having the bottom wall 836, a frame having a circular cross-sectionalconfiguration is bent into a configuration having an upper side, a lowerside and one lateral side. A pair of hollow portions at respective sidesof the grip section 802 are fitted in a curved surface on the inside ofthe frame. In this manner, the key holder is retained by the buckle 853.

Further, in the case of the key holder comprising a plurality of keybodies, numbers or marks of different color from each other may beapplied to the respective key bodies. This is convenient, because it ispossible to then easily distinguish the key bodies from each other as towhere the key bodies should be used. Moreover, if decoration such ascolor, sculpture or the like is applied to surfaces of the respectivegrip section, buckle, key bodies and the like, there is obtained abeautiful or pretty design. A chain may be mounted to one end of thegrip section or to one end of each of the key bodies to form a necklace.

In this disclosure, there are shown and described only the preferredembodiments of the invention, but, as aforementioned, it is to beunderstood that the invention is capable of use in various othercombinations and environments and is capable of changes or modificationswithin the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A key holding apparatus, comprising:a gripsection, having a pair of plates superimposed upon each other to definea hollow portion therebetween; at least one key body mounted to saidgrip section so as to be extensible from and retractable into saidhollow portion; and a key holder in the form of a buckle having a beltfastener, wherein said key holder has an upper side, a lower side and alateral side extending between opposite ends of the respective upper andlower sides, wherein said key holder has, at its inner periphery, aframe in which said grip section is fitted, wherein said lateral side ofsaid key holder has an upper face with an inner edge provided with alatching element for retaining one end of said grip section, wherein theother ends of the respective upper and lower sides have respective innerperipheries formed respectively with engaging projections fitted in saidhollow portion of said grip section, wherein said key holder further hasa lower face plate provided at a bottom face of said frame, wherein oneend of said grip section has an upper face provided with a projectionengageable with said latching element, and said grip section holds twokeys lying substantially in a common plane, with each key mounted topivot about a respective one of two parallel axes so as to be extensibleby rotation in mutually opposite directions.